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f 


SCIENCE 

of 

COLLECTIVE 

EFFICIENCY 


By 

SUTTON E. GRIGGS 

Author of 

“ Life's Demands,” “Light on 
Racial Issues,” etc., etc. 


Issued Bv 

The National Public Welfare League 
569 E. Georgia .Avenue 
Memphis, Tenn. 





FOREWORD 


Democracy is the goal of our age. 

But woe follows woe, as the shadow follows the sun, in 
the case of every element in a democracy that lacks the traits 
that beget collective efficiency. 

This stubborn fact conveys its own lesson of the utter 
importance of the development of collective efficiency by ail 
who are expected to safeguard their interests in a democracy. 

Out of the heart of the universe comes the great cry to 
all: Develop collective efficiency, or suffer disgrace—and 
ultimately perish. 


PREFACE. 


I\o man, however brilliant; no people, however numer¬ 
ous ; no nation, however rich and powerful, can live unto it¬ 
self in the world as it is now constituted. The cardinal fea¬ 
ture of great England’s foreign policy is that she shall be 
in a position to prevent others from isolating her from the 
rest of the world. To fare well, to be free from outside an¬ 
noyance, to secure needed co-operation, to be accorded the 
right of way in the world’s activities, to receive desired rec¬ 
ognition, we must have the respect of others. 

Respect of the highest order is only accorded to those 
groups of men that manifest collective efficiency and only 
to individuals belonging to such groups. Whatever the treat¬ 
ment outwardly exhibited, men do not allow groups to occupy 
certain high places in their thoughts unless the groups have 
manifested collective efficiency. 

The final test to be applied to any man is as to whether he 
is an individualist or a co-operator. The final test to be applied 
to a group is as to whether it is cursed with individualism 
which comes from harboring nests of individualists, or is 
blessed with the associative spirit, the outgrowth of the pres¬ 
ence of beings that, in their fundamental bent, are co-opera¬ 
tors. Whether this method of judgment is just or unjust, 
wise or unwise, it is the prevailing method and must be dealt 
with as such. 


Sutton E. Griggs. 


CONTENTS 


T 


THE NEW SCIENCE . 3 

FOREWORD. I 

PREFACE . 5 

THE TWO CLASSES . 7 

INDIVIDUALISM . 9 

THE JOINT TASKS OF MANKIND. 16 

TRANSFORMATION . 22 

ESSENTIAL TRAITS . 25 

Moral . 25 

Mental . 

Temperamental . 46 

CONCLUSION . ff, 














THE TWO CLASSES. 


Individualists and Co-operators. 

Mineral matter, insects, lower animals and human be¬ 
ings may be divided into two categories—the individualistic 
and co-operative. 

Atoms composing a gaseous substance are individualis¬ 
tic in tendency, each seeking to get away from its neighbor 
and being held in proxmity to its neighbor only in proportion 
to the nearness of the outside pressure. 

The atoms constituting steel are co-operative in tendency, 
clinging to each other tenaciously, and separating only as the 
result of outside pressure applied with drastic force. 

Among the individualistic insects are to be found the 
flies, butterflies, grasshoppers, the solitary bee and the 
“Praying Mantis.” The Mantis comes into conscious exis¬ 
tence not only inclined not to co-operate with its immediate 
kin, but disposed from the beginning toward suspicion, and 
warring against its brothers and sisters. The female Mantis 
finally rounds out her career of anti-co-operation by eating 
her husband. 

Some of the co-operative insects are ants, hornets, wasps, 
and social bees. The social bee manifests in a high degree 
the co-operative bent. 

The mole and the fox are individualistic animals. 

The wolf and the beaver are animals that have the co¬ 
operative bent, it being more pronounced in the beaver than 
in the wolf, the latter confining its co-operation to searching 
and fighting for food. 

All races of men have some measure of the co-operative 
bent and are to be divided into individualistic or co-operative 


8 


groups in proportion as individualism or co-operation pre¬ 
dominates. Therefore, in all individualistic human groups 
there will be a measure of co-operation, and in all co-opera¬ 
tive groups, a measure of individualism. 

Out of the groups in which the co-operative spirit is pre¬ 
dominant, we get the great governments of the world. The 
groups in which the co-operative spirit is weak constitute 
what are termed backward races. 


9 


INDIVIDUALISM. 

Rampant individualism retards tlie development of races. 
The following are some of its effects: 

Individualism causes sacred trusts to be regarded as gold¬ 
en opportunities for self aggrandisement that must not be 
ignored, dhe spirit of elevating personal interest over the 
interests of the group prevails. 

. According to the natural view-point of the individualist, 
lie is the center of the universe. Every question that arises 
with reference to the relation that he is to sustain toward 
any thing else is answered with reference to its effect upon 
his desires. 

To get a clear conception of the view-point of the indiv¬ 
idualist as compared with that of the co-operator we cite the 
respective courses followed by the white corpuscles and the tu¬ 
bercular germ in the human body. The white corpuscle seeks 
to take care of its own interests but is careful not to do so 
at the expense of the body. While it eats, it eats nothing that 
impairs the efficiency of the body. On the other hand, the 
tubercular germ establishes itself in vital tissue and proceeds 
to multiply and eat, utterly unmindful of the fact that he 
is pursuing a course that must destroy the body. “Am I not 
in the world for the purpose of satisfying my own desires’’ 
is the question which the tubercular germ and the individual¬ 
ist answer in the affirmative when they act according to the 
law of their natures. 

Under individualism, through the elevation of personal 
interests above the general welfare, there comes a needless 
duplication of organizations, and a perversion of institutions 
designed to serve the public interest to agencies serving per¬ 
sonal ends, primarily. 

In organizations public favor fluctuates. A man is tem¬ 
porarily put into the fore-front. In the course of time it is 
regarded as expedient to replace him with someone else. 
Whenever his nature is permeated with individualism, he re- 


10 


sents being set aside and makes use of this acquired in¬ 
fluence to disrupt the organization and form another in which 
he will continue to shine. 

In the rank and file of various organizations there some¬ 
times arises a spirit of unity, and efforts are put forth to 
blend under a common management organizations that have 
a common purpose; but leaders in the various organizations, 
apprehensive as to the extent to which they will shine in the 
amalgamated organization, throw obstacles in the way of 
union. Thus, individualism prevents the blending of organ¬ 
izations that ought by all means to be united. 

While individualism can, and often does, operate to pro¬ 
duce unnecessary divisions, at times it operates in the op¬ 
posite direction. Sometimes, for the sake of more efficient 
administration, there should be a division of work and re¬ 
sponsibility. But when a division would not cripple effi¬ 
ciency but greatly contribute thereto, an individualist at the 
head of an organization too ponderous for the best results, 
objects to the division because of a feeling that it would 
reduce his personal prestige. 

Conventions, associations, fraternal organizations, church¬ 
es and other like institutions are designed for public welfare. 
In a group where individualism is the predominating charac¬ 
teristic, men will arise to power in these organizations, and 
will cause them to contribute mainly to the personal welfare 
of individuals. This will be done not only to the extent of the 
splendid rewards that ought to come to individuals for 
exceptional services, but far beyond what reasonably should 
be expected. 

A group of individualists may introduce into its life what 
are social agencies in the groups from which they are bor¬ 
rowed, but individualists who get control of them will cause 
them to be used mainly for personal ends. For example, the 
ballot is an instrument of co-operation. It does not belong 
to the individual but to the social body. It is merely placed 


11 


in the individual*s hands as a means of recording his 
opinion as to what is best for the social body. But the in¬ 
dividualist will regard the ballot as his personal property 
to be disposed of for his personal profit if he so desire. 

A newspaper is a social institution. It exists as a re¬ 
sult of the co-operation of the publisher and the reader. 
Each is under obligations to the other. But when an indi¬ 
vidualist comes into possession of a newspaper, he looks 
upon it as a means for personal gain. He does not view the 
paper as something that should primarily serve the inter¬ 
ests of the public, but as something designed to increase his 
personal fortune. Not the news that helps society, but that 
which increases sales and adds to profits is what is fur¬ 
nished. 

When an individualist is a publisher there will be but 
little done by his publication in the way of multiplying the 
usefulness of others. Wherever it will seem to serve the in¬ 
terests of the owning individualist to tear down, that will 
be his policy. On the other hand, anyone who contributes to 
the personal profit of the individualist will gain his sup¬ 
port, regardless as to the injury that may be wrought upon 
society. 

The mere presence of wealth in a group of individualists 
is of no great value to the group. Those who have it will have 
the egoistic outlook on life and will feel that the chief mis¬ 
sion of the money in their possession is to minister to their 
personal needs. Money in the possession of a co-operator, 
even when held together will be used in ways to promote the 
common good. 

A group of individualists, with the individualistic outlook 
will have a tendency to regard their interests as being cared 
for if certain individuals are receiving recognition. Among 
individualists, favors to individuals will be esteemed more 
highly than antagonism to conditions of vice which are doing 
damage to the whole social fabric. 


12 


In all groups where individualism predominates there is 
a lack of adequate support of leaders from attacks born of 
jealousy. Leadership involves the possession of exceptional 
talents, and the possession of exceptional talents begets jeal¬ 
ousies. Where men are exclusively engrossed with personal 
interests they fail to help those afflicted by the handicaps 
born of a jealous spirit. 

Behold then the fate of the man of exceptional strength 
in the midst of qn individualistic group. His first battle is 
with the jealousies of those who themselves would like to sit 
in the seat of power. Of course this contest goes on in all 
groups of men. But, in groups where individualism prevails, 
the neutrals who constitute the overwhelming masses, and 
who could determine issues, often are so engrossed with their 
individual tasks as to leave the exceptional man to battle sin¬ 
gle-handed with those contending with him. In the co-opera¬ 
tive groups where the units have acquired the habit of throw¬ 
ing themselves whole-heartedly and readily into the tasks of 
others, they go to the rescue of the exceptional character. In 
this way'he has a better chance to survive than in the groups 
where individualism predominates, and he is left alone to 
contend with those whose chief inspiration is to prevent his 
acquisition of honor. The individualistic groups, therefore, 
cannot possibly develop great leaders in numbers equal to 
those developed in the co-operative groups; nor can such lead* 
ers as are developed devote time to constructive efforts as the 
leaders in co-operative groups, because more time must be 

Individualism blights the spirit of reform by denying it 
proper co-operation. 

An individualist stands ready to co-operate with the man 
who enjoys public favor, in order that he may fall heir to his 
reflected light. But a man enjoying public favor may also be a 
man holding the people to an erroneous course. Individual¬ 
ism therefore operates in a manner to foster the continuance 
of error by causing men to support a popular man though in 
the wrong. 


13 


The reformer’s task is by its very nature an unpopular 
task. Where individualism prevails and units give primary 
consideration to their own welfare, they do not lend to the 
embryonic reformers the amount of co-operation necessary 
for the reform to get a proper footing. Therefore, where 
individualism prevails there is an abundance of abortive re¬ 
form movements. 

Where individualism thrives, distrust, because of knowl¬ 
edge or fear of betrayal of trusts, is present with its par¬ 
alyzing influence. 

In order to have co-operation there must be concentra¬ 
tion and trust. When an individualist sees concentration 
he aspires to the accompanying position of trust. When he 
gets it, he begins to act with reference to his trust as the 
tubercular germ toward the vital tissue of the body. It is 
thus that the reign of individualism in a group operates so 
pronouncedly in the direction of the betrayal of trusts. 

Power is a sacred trust committed to the care of the holder 
for the common good. When the individualist has power he 
is willing to use it for the selfish purpose of perpetuating 
himself in power. An individualist, aspiring for power is 
willing to resort to methods to gain his end that will work 
injury to the social body. Regarding all things as revolv¬ 
ing around himself, it does not matter with him to what ex¬ 
tent he upsets the social body; is not concerned about the 
sort of opinion that a social body is creating by virtue of his 
activities. He will provoke any sort of crisis for his own 
good at the expense of the public good. What does he care 
with reference to the opinion being formed of his group, so 
long as he is achieving that that pleases him? The battles 
of individualists for places of power are among the greatest 
retarding forces in the matter of developing collective effi¬ 
ciency. Individualism clashing with individualism has caused 
the wrecking of many groups. 


14 


A powerful force such as individualism cannot exist in 
a race without its being known or felt. People go about in 
daily dread of its manifestations. Men are bound to draw 
lessons from experience, and when they see cause after cause 
go down because of the betrayal of sacred trusts begotten by 
the spirit of individualism, it is very natural that there should 
be a marked degree of suspicion. This suspicion will be found 
to embrace not only those that merit it but some who do not 
merit it. 

Again, anyone who deviates from the beaten path to pur¬ 
sue a course which he is thoroughly convinced will be for the 
good of the people is very likely to have thrown over him the 
blanket of suspicion woven by a group in which individualism 
has so often manifested itself. Suspicion is the native air of 
a condition of individualism. 

Under the reign of individualism, social agencies that 
should care for those things that endanger society are lack¬ 
ing, or, are but feebly supported, thus allowing evils to mul¬ 
tiply and become menacing. 

We have seen how that individualism operates to hamper 
the strong men in a group. It also has a baneful influence 
over the weaker units. In every group there are those who 
stand in need of co-operation. There is the child, the lame, 
the halt, the blind, the sick, the aged and those morally defect¬ 
ive who need assistance. Whenever this assistance fails to 
come, evil results to society follow. Individualism operates 
to prevent the carrying forward of matters of this kind in 
three ways. In the first place, individualism prevents the 
development of a sufficient number of leaders interested in 
aiding those who need aid. In the next place, individualism, 
gripping the hearts of the people prevents a sufficient amount 
of cooperation being extended to such leaders as do arise. 
And in the third place, individualism operates to cause some 
who do take the lead in such matters to take advantage of 
the sentiment in favor of helping the needy and use that sen¬ 
timent in the building up of their own private interests. 


15 


It can be seen that the influence of individualism is bane¬ 
ful in the extreme and cannot fail to prevent the development 
of a race, when present to a sufficient extent. 

Individualists do not create progressive societies, do not 
make good citizens and operate in the direction of destroying 
such societies as they enter. 


16 


THE JOINT TASKS OF MANKIND. 

The crowning work of the co-operative spirit in a race is 
collective efficiency. A group possesses collective efficiency 
when it has the capacity for, and the habit of concentrating 
all of its potential and necessary forces behind the joint tasks 
of mankind. 

The act of jumping quite aptly illustrates the possession 
of collective efficiency by a social body. The will of the 
jumper reaches out to every muscle of the body, brings them 
all into co-ordination, and when the leap is made, all parts 
go along together. The will of an epileptic does not con¬ 
trol his entire body. An affected part, such as an arm or 
a leg, acts without regard to instructions received from the 
center of control in the brain, and there is no co-ordination 
of action between the affected part and the rest of the body. 
When a group lacks the capacity to influence any essential 
element to help foster its general policy, and when this dis¬ 
affection is sufficient to influence the course of the group, 
it may be said to have social epilepsy instead of collective 
efficiency. When a group faces great opportunities or ne¬ 
cessities and has the resources to meet all demands, yet fails 
to do so, it may be said to be afflicted with social paralysis. 

There was once a powerful nation that rendered con¬ 
spicuous service to the cause of humanity. It fell and was 
dismembered, its territory being divided among other na¬ 
tions. The people of this fallen nation had so many excel¬ 
lent qualities that investigators of social phenomena were 
puzzled as to the causes of her inability to retain her place 
in the family of nations. A distinguished American sociolo¬ 
gist spent a number of years mingling with the people in 
search of knowledge of the traits that were operating to 
prevent the manifestation of collective efficiency. 

As a result of the world war this nation was re-estab¬ 
lished. No sooner had the people made their escape from 
oppression than rumors began to go forth to the effect that 
certain elements among them were horribly oppressing the 


17 


members of another race in their midst. This oppression 
was not sanctioned by the constituted authorities, yet, it is 
said that it went on. Some time later an element of this na¬ 
tion pursued a course which was repudiated by the author¬ 
ized representatives of the government, but which threat¬ 
ened to precipitate another great European war. What ap¬ 
pears to be a fatal lack of this nation? There is the ab¬ 
sence of a capacity for holding all elements in line Avith a 
national policy. It seems to be a case of social epilepsy, 
devoted to the task of self-preservation. 

Since each normal individual is well occupied in pro¬ 
pelling himself through life, a new force must be found to 
take care of those elements in the groups that break down. 
If this is not done the evil influences radiating from those 
that have failed to function properly will ultimately affect 
the whole group. This new force can be secured by the 
association in endeavor of the elements that are functioning 
normally. This new force may properly be called the col¬ 
lective arm and is the natural outgrowth of the true co-oper¬ 
ative spirit. It is the instrument that handles joint tasks. 

The instinct of self-preservation is so pronounced in the 
human body that the muscles will act in the presence of dan¬ 
ger before there is conscious thought as to what should be 
done. The lids of the eye can be relied on to shut out a 
speeding insect before one has had the opportunity to think 
the matter out. What is needed in the social body is such 
a measure of the co-operative spirit as will cause the de¬ 
velopment of a collective arm at every point and on every 
occasion needed. When a group is so constituted that this 
collective arm does not make its appearance when a given 
situation calls for it, it is a sign of the absence of a co¬ 
operative nature. 

The race or group that does not develop the collective 
arm when and where it needs it, is a social deformity and 
will be regarded by other groups about as a man born with¬ 
out arms is regarded by other men. The man, armless from 
birth, is set aside by other men as a thing apart. A race 


18 


that does not develop the collective arm is set aside as a 
race apart. Individuals that do not meet their social obliga¬ 
tions are called social criminals. They may be splendid per¬ 
sons in all other respects, but if they fail in this, the most 
important of all matters whatsoever, they will not, they can¬ 
not rank high in men’s esteem, and the more they press for 
consideration while maintaining this armless condition, the 
more bitterly they will be fought. 

Here we have an explanation of the increase of preju¬ 
dice with the increase of progress on the part of those who 
are progressing as individuals, but not as to the acceptance 
of social responsibilities. 

Among the chief joint tasks of men are: 

(a) The preservation of health that the species may en¬ 
dure. When a group has a death rate in excess of its birth 
rate the collective arm is not functioning properly at that 
point. 

(b) The handing over to the many of the advancement 
attained by the individuals. 

In a group those who are most advanced are affected by 
those who have lagged behind. This is inevitable. It is the 
joint task of the progressive element to pass what it has 
gained on to the masses. 

(c) The protection of the social body from the operation 
of anti-social forces. 

The social body atracts the attention of anti-social forc¬ 
es and it is the duty of the social body to meet these anti-social 
forces 

(d) The matter of unification and cohesion. 

Needless divisions and the lack of cohesion seriously 

weaken the social body and it is a duty that a society owes 
to itself to unify its forces and beget cohesion. 


19 


(e) The getting to the front in a dominating position 
that which is highest and best in the group life. 

All groups should be led by their best products. It is the 
duty of the whole body to search for its best to put it in the 
lead. Wherever in a group leadership has fallen into inferior 
hands it is a sign of the neglect of an important joint task. 
However, in appraising leadership care must be taken to con¬ 
sider all the qualifications that should enter into leadership. 

(f) Timely and adequate support with both thought 
and action, of administrative forces. 

No small body of men can think and plan for a great 
group unaided. It is the duty of the group to get its unbiased 
thought up to administrative forces so that they can have the 
united wisdom of the group as a guiding force. 

It is the duty of a group to so act as to aid administrative 
forces. They are powerless without the general aid. 

It is a duty of society to see to it that it gets the benefit 
of united thought and action. 

(g) The removal of inefficiency or other retarding in¬ 
fluences from the seat of power at the proper time and in a 
wise manner. 

It is to be expected that mistakes of judgment will be 
made by groups and that inefficient or corrupt forces will 
sometimes get into places of power. Inefficiency and corrupt¬ 
ion are injurious to the entire social body, and to rid itself 
of these things is the duty of social bodies. 

But the group should possess the qualities necessary for 
making changes without violent ruptures. 

(h) The attainment of results of such a stupendous and 
worthy character as to compel the respect, and eliminate the 
possibility of the contempt of other groups of men. 

Respect is a thing that cannot be bestowed where not 
merited. Since there is a degree of respect that is only ac¬ 
corded to members of groups that display collective effeciem 


20 


cy, it is the duty of the group to so function as a group as to 
win the respect of other groups. Otherwise the individuals 
composing the group functioning below just expectations may 
encounter the contempt of the members of groups that are 
meeting the reasonable expectations of mankind. 

(i) The conquest of the good will of other groups of 

men. 

Mere membership in a given group establishes certain re¬ 
lationships toward other groups. It is the duty of a group 
therefore to send forth to other groups that which will make 
life enjoyable for its members. 

(j) Social sanitation. 

Just as no human body is complete without arrangements 
for disposing of the waste matter generated, likewise a social 
group must have facilities to make proper disposition of its 
waste matter, delinquencies and victims of unfortunate cir¬ 
cumstances, whose neglect would cause injury to the social 
body. 

The body of an animal is not complete and is not in a 
safe or healthy condition unless it is equipped with corrective 
and curative agencies. There must be pores for the elimina¬ 
tion of waste matter and there must be curative agencies to 
set things right when disorders appear. If the body of an 
animal is lacking in curative power it is avoided as in the 
case of leprosy. Any social body that lacks curative forces 
may be said to have the social leprosy. 

These joint tasks are but illy performed wherever there 
is an absence of spontaneity in extending to men who have 
the spirit of reform, the degree of timely aid needed to pro¬ 
duce the desired result. Where spontaneity is lacking the 
waste of time and energy in summoning the co-operative 
spirit is enormous. 


21 


When groups devote proper attention to those things 
that concern their welfare as a whole, their members have 
opportunities for developing a spirit of unselfishness and 
reputations that will better fit them for leadership. 

The bees feed their prospective queens on a special food 
that causes them to grow to be larger than ordinary mem¬ 
bers of the hive. Working for the common good is the spe¬ 
cial food that causes members of human groups to grow 
large, and where there is but little attention given to mat¬ 
ters of common interest there is also a lack of opportunity 
to develop effective, unselfish leadership. Groups in which 
the joint tasks are neglected will be found to be groups with 
a predominantly selfish leadership, and a leadership without 
general influence. 


22 


TRANSFORMATION. 

The chief task of civilization is to change each succeeding 
generation from the individualistic to the co-operative bent, 
as a man begins life equipped by nature to practice individ¬ 
ualism. Unless this transformation is made individualism 
will rear its head, it matters not under what form of organ¬ 
ization activities go forward. Give to a group of individualists 
a republican form of government and they will convert it 
into anarchy or autocracy. 

It is very important that there should be a clear under¬ 
standing of the size of the problem of transformation. It 
is by no means enough for the members of a group to learn 
of the value of a life of co-operation. It is comparatively 
easy to do that. But, in addition to a realization of the 
value of co-operation, there must be a development of a 
nature that will insure its practice. For example, it would 
do no good, even if they could understand it, merely to lec¬ 
ture to flies concerning the superior advantages enjoyed by 
ants, due to a superior capacity for co-operation. Unless the 
nature of the flies could be transformed they would proceed 
to act in the same old way, even after having heard in full of 
the value of the contrary course. It is possible to find a 
group in which there is general knowledge that its greatest 
need is to practice co-operation, and yet there will be an 
utter failure to measure up to reasonable expectations, be¬ 
cause the knowledge of the value of co-operation is not ac¬ 
companied by a co-operative nature. Individualists at 
times have learned the language of co-operation, have adopt¬ 
ed the arguments in its favor, have diligently preached 
them, but with no end in view save that of personal benefit. 
The rankest sort of an individualist can be the loudest sort 
of an advocate of co-operation. But a close study of the 
lives of individualists who adopt the doctrines of co-opera¬ 
tion will show that about their only interest in co-operation 
is manifested when it is headed in their direction. They are 
ready to cast the doctrine aside as soon as it has served their 


23 


personal ends. They clamour loudly for co-operation when 
this would bring profit to them, but seem not to think of 
practicing it with reference to others. 

When men, in their natures, are individualistic and not 
associative, their marked success as individuals is not neces¬ 
sarily helpful to the group. While they are in the ranks, 
necessity forces a certain amount of the practice of co¬ 
operation upon them, as hunger drives wolves into the pack 
and brings about co-operative hunting. But, when individu¬ 
alists succeed, their essential nature asserts itself. It is 
thus that a group of individualists has a somewhat co-opera¬ 
tive middle class and a leadership permeated with the selfish 
spirit. 

This brings us to the assertion that groups must not fas¬ 
ten their attention primarily on the fruits of co-operation, 
but upon forming the right kind of spirit, since success that 
is not accompanied by the true spirit of co-operation is a 
success that only entrenches selfishness in the seat of power. 

There is no question of greater importance than that as 
to how the young are to acquire this co-operative bent. It has 
been held by some that traits are inherited. There are others 
who hold that there is no inheritance of traits along with the 
body. It is conceded that certain physical organs are inheri¬ 
ted which yield themselves more readily to the manifesta¬ 
tions of certain traits, but that the traits themselves come in 
a different manner. 

There is an early period, so the theory goes, when the 
spiritual being, the mind is without special bias as to traits, 
and what its character is to become depends upon impress¬ 
ions made during an early period. For example, it is held 
that a wild duck does not inherit fear of men, that when it 
comes into the world its nature, so far as that matter is con¬ 
cerned, is thoroughly neutral. The mother early inculates 
fear, and does it under such circumstances that it does not 
leave the young duck after it has been thus impressed. On 
the other hand, if the young duck can be reached in the ab- 


24 


sence of its mother and before she has made that impression 
upon it, it can be brought up utterly devoid of fear of men. 

It is held that a child does not inherit the traits of the 
race to which it belongs, but that the social atmosphere into 
which it is thrown shapes its character. The most important 
thing in connection with a race, therefore, is thought to be 
the social atmosphere, the body of sentiments and thoughts 
in which it is enveloped. The late Benjamin Kidd says: “It 
is the matter of its social heredity which creates the ruling 
people. It is what it lacks in its social heredity that relegates 
a people to the position of an inferior race.” 

Benjamin Kidd. Science of Power, P. 304. 

The child of a community unconsciously imbibes the en¬ 
veloping sentiment. Is the tone of life in the community pre¬ 
dominantly selfish or altrustic, jealous or generous, construc¬ 
tive or destructive, individualistic or co-operative, concerned 
about the future or occupied wholly with the thoughts of the 
moment'? Upon the thinking of the community depends the 
kind of individual being made out of the child. If the child 
comes out of this social mould with a co-operative spirit, he 
has in him the possibilities of a good citizen, a good team 
mate. If he comes out as an individualist it will be difficult 
to build a government out of material of his kind. 

Collective efficiency is impossible unless there can be a 
substitution of the social for the individualistic outlook. The 
fact that a radical change in spirit from what nature first 
bestows is an absolute necessity, should not of itself be a 
discouragement. Nature first gives to the caterpillar a 
hairy body and decrees for it to crawl upon the earth. By 
submitting to a process of transformation, the shaggy creep¬ 
er becomes the beautiful flier. If individualists will sub¬ 
mit themselves and their offspring to transforming influ¬ 
ences the spirit of co-operation will be formed within and 
will manifest itself outwardly as occasion may arise. 


25 


ESSENTIAL TRAITS. 

Educate an individualist as an individualist and you have 
only the better him equipped to prey upon his fellows. 

Education for a life of co-operation, it can be seen, does 
not consist in merely pointing out the value of co-operation. 
An individualist can see how that the spirit of co-operation, 
fostered in others, can be made to feed his individualism. 

The home, the kindergarten, the school, the Sunday 
School and all other agencies dealing with child life should 
hold definitely in mind the task of transforming individual¬ 
ists into co-operadors. If the child is to go through life with 
the individualistic bent, viewing all matters with his own 
interests as the determining center of his thinking, the shar¬ 
pening of its talents is but the multiplication of a destruc¬ 
tive force. Groups with keen intellectual power and broad 
knowledge cannot attain collective efficiency where there 
has been no transformation of the spirits to the point where 
they are fundamentally co-operative. 

To make an enduring, success of co-operation, certain 
mental concepts must be inculcated, certain tempermental 
traits must be fostered and certain moral principles must be 
accepted and followed: 


MORAL 

. If the co-operative spirit is to thrive to the point of col¬ 
lective efficiency, the highest of human achievements, devel¬ 
opment must be secured along the following lines: 

1. A keen sense of personal responsibility for the gen¬ 
eral welfare. 

What is the feeling of the individuals of a race with re¬ 
gard to its condition? In order that it may have the success 
that justly may be expected of it, the various units must feel 
responsible for its entire condition. The unit must not be con¬ 
tent with its own individual success, with its own personal 


26 


worth. It must not be satisfied merely with success in its 
own chosen field. It must carry upon its heart the burden 
of responsibility for the whole, and must do whatever it 
can in whatever way it can for the advancement of the in¬ 
terests of the whole. 

This spirit of responsibility will breed the spirit of the 
initiative. Where there is a strong feeling of responsibility, it 
will cause the one that has it to take proper action when it is 
apparent that a duty is being neglected. There will be no 
waiting for some one else to do that which is as much one 
person’s duty as it is another’s. 

Does the individual carry in his bosom this sense of 
responsibility for the general welfare! This is the test of 
material needed for the manifestation of collective efficiency. 
The bees have no use for any occupant of the hive that is not 
a contributor or a prospective contributor to the general wel¬ 
fare. The males in the hive accept no responsibility further 
than that of offering themselves as mates for queens. Apart 
from that function, they do nothing for the hive. Thus, im¬ 
mediately after the queen and a male are mated, her com¬ 
panion is destroyed, and afterwards all the males of the 
hive are killed. 

The feeling of personal responsibility for the general 
welfare should operate in the direction of efforts on the 
part of those having it to induce all others to accept their 
full measure of responsibility. W 7 hen only a few out of a 
large number are deeply imbued with a sense of responsibili¬ 
ty, they will find themselves overwhelmed with work and 
breaking down under the load of general welfare problems 
thrust upon them, if by themselves they attempt to do all that 
they see is needed to be done for the public good. For the 
sake of themselves and for the sake of society, there should 
be moral conscription for service in the general welfare. 
Those who have the good of the whole at heart should be 
of the type grimly determined to awaken a like feeling in all 
others. 


27 


2. Substitution of self-renunciation for self-preserva¬ 
tion when the general welfare is ihvolved. 

While every unit is assigned by nature the special task 
of taking care of itself, it must stand ready to sacrifice its 
own personal interests whenever they come in conflict with 
the welfare of the whole people. Ambition for personal suc¬ 
cess must give way before the needs of the general body. If 
an army stands in need of delivering a crushing blow to the 
opposition, this cannot be done if the respective desires of 
its soldiers for life prompt them to seek their own good in 
preference to the general good of the army and the cause for 
which it stands. 

In the struggle for existence through which living crea¬ 
tures have come, self-preservation was the first law of nature, 
but when the society stage is reached in evolution, this law 
must be relegated to second place, and self-renunciation must 
become the first law of nature so far as the relation of the 
individual to society is concerned. 

Sometimes the efficiency of a group is promoted by the 
long tenure of as exceptionally worthy character at its head. 
On the other hand, the welfare of a group sometimes calls 
for a change of officials. The retention or the abandonment 
of an office should be determined wholly with reference to 
the needs of the group. The office holder should consider 
the question of aspiring to hold on or to let go from the 
standpoint of the needs of the group and not from the stand¬ 
point of his own glory simply. George Washington set a 
noble example in this matter. Perhaps he could have held 
on to the Presidency of the United States indefinitely. Yet, 
he chose to retire, feeling that course would be a great con¬ 
tribution to the welfare of the country. 

3. Control of appetites. 

In order that a society may meet the emergencies that are 
likely to come upon it, it is essential that its units possess 
sound bodies. Nature has endowed men with three great 


28 


craves: the crave for food, the crave for drink, and the crave 
for reproduction. These craves must be kept within their 
proper bounds or else the weakening of the bodies must take 
place. 

Moreover, in order for society to meet its emergencies, 
it must at times have accumulated resources upon which it 
can draw, by means of loans, bonds and so-forth. These re¬ 
sources are accumulated as the result of thrift, but wherever 
there is no control of the appetites there can be no thrift. 

In groups where the sexual appetites are given a free and 
unrestricted reign, clashings between members who ought to 
be co-operating with each other are inevitable. The an¬ 
tagonisms begotten in such clashings are deep, lasting and 
far-reaching in influence. Moreover, there is a decided re¬ 
luctance in following the leadership of a man who is not 
exercising control of the sexual appetites. Such a man is 
sure to encounter opposition of those opposed to his way of 
living. It cannot be forecast how long his career is to last 
nor at what time his passions may lead him to betray some 
vital interest. Loss of mental vigor and failure in health 
are accompaniments of a lack of control of the sexual pas¬ 
sions. It is to be observed that the great races of mankind 
are the monogamous races, the system of having one wife 
contributing materially to the regulation of the sexual appe¬ 
tites. 

4. Honesty that begets fidelity to trust and justifies a 
policy of faith in man. 

The cement that binds man to man and thus forms a soc¬ 
iety is the faith that man has in man. Where men are unduly 
suspicious of each other, there can be no effective social ac¬ 
tion. But faith must have a solid basis of experience upon 
which to rest and it cannot have this basis where it too often 
has been betrayed. In order, therefore, that there may be the 
measure of faith that will constitute a cement for society, 
there must be fidelity to trusts. Whenever groups repose 


29 


confidence in an individual, that individual owes it as a patrio¬ 
tic duty to prove faithful to the trust. Men will he slow to con¬ 
fer great power whenever there is great danger that it will 
be betrayed. Men will be slow to grant a needed measure of 
confidence to those in power wherever it is the practice to 
abuse that confidence. Dying upon the field of battle is not the 
only way in which to demonstrate a patriotic sentiment. He 
who is faithful to a trust is a patriot in the highest, the deep¬ 
est, and the broadest sense of the word. 

5. Reliability. 

In the prosecution of the tasks incident to life in society, 
the ability of one man to do his work well depends upon the 
performance of duties by other men. A post-master, let us say, 
is due at the post-office in a metropolitan city at a certain 
hour. In order that he may get there at the appointed time 
to transact business upon which thousands are depending, he 
must have his breakfast at a certain time and transportation 
facilities must be at hand. Suppose the cook in his home has 
failed to show up at the proper time; suppose his chauffeur 
fails to be on hand to man his car; or, if he is to travel on the 
street car, suppose the motorman has failed to appear for 
duty— if such a condition confronts him, it will interfere with 
the proper discharge of his duties. Society is merely an ar¬ 
rangement of inter-dependence. With one group, one class, one 
element depending upon another, conditions will be thorough¬ 
ly chaotic if there is no reliability. 

6. Spirit of reconciliation. 

The circumstances that confront men in a group are 
bound to differ. These different circumstances will operate 
to produce different convictions. Men who are equally able 
and equally honest will sometimes arrive at different conclu¬ 
sions. Misunderstandings are likely to arise. Ruptures in so¬ 
cial fabrics are sure to come. It is -therefore essential that 
every social group should be equipped with the spirit of re- 


30 


conciliation. Men must know how to forgive and forget. Men 
must have the desire to put an end to quarrels as quickly as 
possible. Estrangements should be kept up not one moment 
longer than may be necessary to cure the ills that begot the 
estrangements. The spirit of reconciliation should lead men 
to heal every breach so soon as those who caused the breach 
are out of the way. 

There came a time in the life of the Jews when certain 
leaders regarded it as essential to enter into contention with 
other leaders. A rupture took place and they were divided 
into two rival kingdoms. They did not heal the breach. The 
rupture was allowed to continue. There was not the spirit of 
reconciliation. Therefore, when troubles came upon them 
thus separated into two independent groups, they were unable 
to stand the shock. 

The United States of America had a most serious rup¬ 
ture. Four years of bloody strife overtook the nation, but 
when the war was over and the cause that led to the estrange¬ 
ment had been removed, the spirit of reconciliation asserted 
itself and the nation moved on unitedly to face its destiny. 
Going farther back, there was a rupture between the American 
colonies and the government of England. A war raged for 
eight years, but as the decades passed, the spirit of reconcil¬ 
iation asserted itself, and as a consequence, today the En¬ 
glish speaking people of the world, separated as to form 
of government and by wide seas, are one in heart and one 
in destiny. 

7. Suppression of the spirit of revenge. 

In order to be able to promote the spirit of reconciliation, 
it is necessary to suppress the spirit of revenge. This passion 
is an unholy one and should not be harbored. There will be 
needless wrangling, base plotting of a harmful nature where 
the spirit of revenge is tolerated. There will be rejoicing over 


31 


mishaps when there could he sorrow, opposition where there 
should be hearty co-operation, where the spirit of revenge is 
nurtured. No individual can be relied upon as a safe mem¬ 
ber of society who harbors or encourages that spirit. It is 
impossible to build up collective efficiency out of material 
charged with the spirit of revenge. 

8. Love of the neighbor. 

A clear title to all that is in the universe would be of 
little value to a man occupying it by himself. The happi¬ 
ness of every individual is therefore bound up in the fact 
of the presence in the world of his fellow beings. Since 
one’s fellows count for so much in every man’s life, every 
man should love his fellow man. Collective efficiency only 
arrives in groups where this debt of love of the neighbor is 
recognized and met. For, there are many duties necessary 
for the common good for which there are no rewards what¬ 
ever, and they are only performed where there is love for 
the neighbor. 

Where there is only self-love, no true co-operator can 
be developed. Self-love is the very essence of individualism. 
He who does not love his fellowmen will find himself unable 
to pursue a course necessary for the common good when¬ 
ever his own personal interests appear to lie in a contrary 
direction. 

Not only is a man’s happiness dependent upon his fellow 
man, but the extent of his usefulness is limited by the degree 
of development of his fellow man. The eminent French 
writer, Jules Payot, says: 44 The expansion of my personality 
and the proportionate value of my co-operation in the common 
task, depend for a large part on the richness, intellectual and 
moral of other men. My highest individual power coincides 
with the greatest degree of outside support and justice.” 
Hence the necessity of love for the fellow man. 

A member of a group in which the love of the neighbor 


32 


is a vital force feels that this sentiment is a great protection, 
and this thought warms his heart into a fervor of patriotism. 
It is hard to secure patriotic service from the members of a 
group in which the love of the neighbor is absent, and without 
patriotic service you cannot have a high degree of collective 
efficiency. 

9. Maintenance of family life. 

A progressive society’s chief reliance for passing the 
gams from one generation to another is the family, made up 
of the husband, the wife and the child. The husband is 
needed to give proper leisure to the mother that she may 
have full opportunity to write the best upon the heart of 
her child. His strengeth is also needed to carry the children 
through the period in which a show of force may be neces¬ 
sary to insure proper discipline. Back of all efforts, then, 
to build for collective efficiency, there should be the fam¬ 
ily life, the one man and the one woman linked together in 
the home, each deserving the trust of the other, the two of 
them, in love, in patience, in all earnestness, transmitting to 
the spirit of the youth the social inheritance, the things of 
the heart and the mind and the spirit that make for social 
stability and progress. 


33 


MENTAL 

1. Ready tendency to second the worthy efforts of oth¬ 
ers. 

Men need stimulation in order that they may prosecute 
worthy undertakings which they themselves begin; but the 
greater need is stimulation of interest in things begun by 
others. No one man will originate all the things needed by a 
social group. No man has a right to feel that anything in 
which he is especially interested constitutes the full needs of 
a group. By far the larger measure of the needs of the group- 
life is beyond his special activities. But, each member of so¬ 
ciety is supposed to do something. Now, if each member that 
is doing something allows what he is doing to have exclusive 
control of his mind and activities, by far the larger needs of 
society will be neV acted so far as he is concerned. Every cit¬ 
izen of a gr 4 gta to be a cosmopolitan, ought to be inter¬ 
ested in all v worthy efforts of all other citizens. 

As the needs and ambitions of groups grow larger and 
larger, the stage is reached where there are tasks beyond 
the capacity of any single person. Success at this stage can 
only come when there is willingness to second the worthy 
efforts of others. This, the individualist is not inclined to 
do. 

Sometimes the person to be helped is an individualist. 
Though in the lead, his interest centers not so much in the 
success of the group as in his own personal success. When 
a man throws himself into a cause that is being led by an¬ 
other, the leader should not forget the seconder, a thing 
which an individualist will do. Thus, an individualist in the 
lead will pursue a course calculated to dampen the ardor of 
those who, if accorded proper treatment, could ably second 
his efforts. 

The process of blending the efforts of men demands 
from another angle the true spirit of seconding. The indi- 


34 


vidualist, though given a position for the purpose of sec¬ 
onding the efforts of another, proceeds, instead, to try to 
supplant the man that he ought to second. 

Sometimes there is an honor that would fall to some 
member of a group if the other members would but join 
hands in pushing him. Among individualists this is rarely 
done, and as a consequence the greater proportion of honors 
go to members of those groups where there is the ready tend¬ 
ency to second. 

At times there are some very able persons in groups 
who are likewise modest and retiring. In groups where there 
is the seconding tendency, persons of this type have a chance 
for consideration. Men with the seconding spirit find them 
and make known their merits to their fellows. But little of 
this is done where the seconding spirit is missing. As a con¬ 
sequence, the road to preferment is left exclusively to those 
inclined to push their own causes aggressively. It is thus 
that in groups where there is but little tendency to second 
the efforts of others there is so often a leadership pre¬ 
dominantly selfish in spirit. 

When an idea is advanced in a group in which the second¬ 
ing tendency is strong, it can stand on its merits. If it is a 
good one it will be gladly received and will be pushed for¬ 
ward by others. The tendency will be to make a hero of the 
author of the beneficial idea. But in a group in which the 
seconding tendency is weak, an idea encounters hostility from 
some whose only objection is that it did not come from them. 
They will seek to amend it for the sole purpose of divert¬ 
ing credit to themselves, or will oppose it for the secret rea¬ 
son that they do not desire to see credit reaped for its ad¬ 
vancement, or will give it perfunctory support with the se¬ 
cret hope that it will prove to be a failure, thus discrediting 
the author of it. At other times, where there is an inclina¬ 
tion not to second, the good idea will find itself soon con¬ 
fronted by a rival idea. In this way there comes about a 


35 


needless duplication of efforts. Men who ought to be sup¬ 
porting a worthy idea already proposed will be found need¬ 
lessly engaged in fostering a rival proposition. 

Seconding will have wholly different effects upon co- 
operators on the one hand, and individualists on the other. 
When the co-operator finds himself adequately seconded, 
his heart is made to glow with increased devotion to the 
common good. When the individualist is generously sec¬ 
onded, he will regard the support which he receives as but 
another testimonial to his own great value. 

One man performs and another records, and thus we 
get history, which serves to bind the past, the present and 
the future together, and makes possible the existence of a 
racial policy, a cementing social force. But in groups where 
the units are characterized by the individualistic outlook on 
life each fellow is so intent upon what he himself is doing 
that he has not the heart of a historian. Individualism, 
then, is the deadly foe of history and causes the absence of 
this great cementing force. In groups where the units are 
characterized by individualism, the literary tendency will be 
in the direction of autobiographies. If a general record is 
made, it will be by some one who conceives himself as play¬ 
ing a central part in the things written about. Such biogra¬ 
phies as appear will, in the main, be produced by some 
member of the family of the man thus honored. History, 
therefore, is only possible where the units have the second¬ 
ing spirit. 

There are those who devote their time to invention, dis¬ 
covery and thought. What they accomplish may be of in¬ 
valuable service to the community, but they may not be in 
a position to furnish the funds to put their ideas into exe¬ 
cution. Perhaps the very fact that they have labored faith¬ 
fully along their chosen lines has prevented the accumulation 
of the necessary funds to put their ideas over. 


36 


In groups where there is the tendency to second, those 
who have been inclined to practice thrift stand ready to 
second the efforts of the man who could not give his time 
to the accumulation of a fortune and at the same time work 
out the ideas needful for the advancement of mankind. 
Where men with great ideas are associated with groups in 
which the tendency to second is missing or feebly developed, 
their ideas are likely to fall short of their possibilities. The 
poet, the historian, the novelist, the scientist, the explorer, 
the inventor, the philosopher—all are dependent in very 
large measure upon the spirit and habit of seconding, and 
one may expect to find a dearth of characters of this type 
in groups not characterized by the seconding spirit. 

There are things needed to promote the general welfare 
for which there is not, and at times, cannot be an adequate 
reward. Often those that need service do not understand 
their need and have neither the power nor the spirit to pay 
in any manner those that serve them. Innumerable are the 
tasks of society that call for unselfish service. At times 
the extreme price must be paid by those that serve, and there 
is, of course, nothing that can be given in return for the 
surrender of life itself. The general practice on the 
part of a people showing that they hold public service 
in grateful remembrance has the tendency to beget such 
service. It is the habit of seconding that is chiefly respon¬ 
sible for the manifestation of grateful remembrance. The 
true seconding spirit leads a man to show appreciation of 
another, even after service has been rendered and there is 
no longer need of the servant. The seconding spirit will 
insist on finding a way to convey in some form tokens of 
remembrance. And, even when death has intervened, it is 
the seconding spirit that causes some man or woman to hold 
before the world the record of the deeds of a departed hero. 
Thus we find the seconding spirit begetting the appreciation 
that breeds patriotism, a thing much needed to beget collec¬ 
tive efficiency. 


37 


Where there is the true seconding spirit, the man who 
is serving in times unable fully to appreciate the character 
of his services, becomes reconciled to the necessity of re¬ 
lying upon the verdict of history for understanding and vin¬ 
dication. He can rest assured that, if time proves the wis¬ 
dom of his course, the seconding spirit of someone will come 
upon tho. scene to call to the attention of his fellows the true 
character and value of the service rendered. It is thus that 
we stimulate the patriotism needed to insure collective ef¬ 
ficiency. 

The importance of the tendency to second the efforts 
of others, as related to the development of collective effi¬ 
ciency is splendidly illustrated in the case of the bee, Halic- 
tus. This bee is one of the most highly developed of the 
solitary bees. But it has failed to develop a government, in 
large measure because the tendency to second is too late in 
making its appearance among her offspring. For some 
cause, she always lays her male eggs first, and as a conse¬ 
quence they are hatched first. The male bee, being like the 
fly and other non-seconding insects, hasn’t the slightest dis¬ 
position to join with its mother in the performance of her 
tasks. The idea never occurs to him to render his mother 
the slightest bit of help. He is ready to eat whatever she 
brings, but takes it as a matter of course and as a thing 
with which he is connected only to the extent of receiving. 
The seconding tendency is found only among female bees, 
and in the case of the Halictus, these are hatched so that 
they do not reach maturity before the mother, whom they 
would help, has reached the stage of passing away. The 
result is that co-operation never appears in the life of the 
family of the Halictus. Thus, it has failed to evolve along 
the lines of social development which we find in Jhe life of 
the bee, Apis, who lays her female eggs first, thus causing 
them to hatch first. As soon as the daughters of the Apis 
develop wings they manifest the sceonding tendency. They 
at once join with their mother in the performance of her 


38 


tasks. This co-operation between mother and daughters, 
made possible by the presence of the habit of seconding, pro¬ 
longs the life of the mother, enables her to live to impart 
her accumulated experience to her off-spring, and makes 
possible the operation of the system of government which 
has won the admiration of some of the greatest thinkers that 
the world has known. 

2. Appreciation of the necessity of rectifying injurious 
tendencies in the life of the group. * 

It is not to be expected, in view of the known frailties of 
man, that all will always go well with a society. Errors and 
wrongs may be expected to show up in all groups. Some times 
these evil conditions will arise through a lack of knowledge 
or through the operation of selfish forces, but the evils that 
show up in society must not be allowed to remain there. There 
should be in every society the spirit of reformation. There 
must be no fatalistic disposition to accept as permanent the 
evils that appear in society. Evils can be corrected and everv 
member of society ought to cherish the desire to have social 
groups purged of whatever wrong appears therein. There 
should be no quiet folding of the arms and an acquiescence in 
things merely because they were done by the people of the 
past. 

It is not enough to inquire with reference to a group as 
to the intellectual strength or uprightness of character of 
its members. The inquiry must go farther. What is the 
tendency of the advanced element—toward aloofness or in 
the direction of bringing other elements up to its level? How¬ 
ever brilliant the members of a group may be, however much 
in their individual lives they may meet the highest demands 
of society, there is a fatal lack unless there is that tendencv 
to catch hold of and reform all laggard elements. Members 
ot groups, who are themselves highly esteemed as individ¬ 
uals, may be shunned as citizens if they are deficient in 
that feeling that leads men to work needful changes in the 
lives of their neighbors. 


39 


There is an element in a community, let us say, that 
dresses neatly, lives orderly and has regard for the appear¬ 
ance of things. Can this element beget in others an ambi¬ 
tion to do likewise! Has it the tendency and the resource¬ 
fulness to handle such a problem! Or, will the element 
that is correct suffer the element that is not correct to drift 
on in its improper ways! Collective efficiency demands 
both a corrective tendency and a curative element. 

The vital need of the spirit of reform is apparent when 
we consider the evolutionary character of our universe. 
What is good today may be useless tomorrow.; what repre¬ 
sents the very acme of wisdom today may be the height of 
folly tomorrow, in view of the progressive character of hu¬ 
man societ} f . The spirit of reform is the ever present spur 
that prods the group to make the constant readaptations de¬ 
manded. 

3. Possession of the ideal of unity. 

Whenever men are divided into small groups there are 
honors to pass around to greater numbers. If a thousand men 
are connected with one body, there will be but one president. 
If, on the other hand, these thousand men are divided into a 
hundred separate bodies, there will be a hundred presidents. 
There may be some who like-an arrangement of this kind, but 
the ideal of unity is more conducive to racial greatness. In 
Africa they have hundreds of languages. The African mind 
that can contemplate such a condition of affairs with com¬ 
placency and can feel that this is a splendid state of things, 
has not the sort of an ideal that can aid in the development 
of a strong social fabric in that country. Behold how good 
and how pleasant it is for brethern to dwell together in unity 
is the ideal upon which powerful social fabrics are built! 

4. Freedom of thought. 

In the search for unity there must be no worship of the 
.judgment of the multitude, merely because it is the judg- 


40 


ment of the multitude. Do not conclude that a course is 
wise merely because all around you seem to think so. There 
is no assurance that a thing is right or wise because of gen¬ 
eral agreement. For, there is such a thing as a general 
error, and general errors lead to general harm. When a 
general error bears its legitimate fruit of general harm, it 
will have an adverse affect upon the development of collec¬ 
tive efficiency, as it will cause a distrust of the leadership 
that did not prevent the evil happening, and this may lead 
to harmful distrust of all leadership. So, while unity of 
action is to be sought, there should be an encouragement of 
freedom of thought. 

Nor must it be thought that the search for collective 
efficiency calls for the absence of opposition to the views 
of those in the lead. Take pains to see that no opposition 
arises from personal grounds, and remember that some men 
have had a better chance than others to acquire knowledge 
on certain subjects. But contend earnestly, patiently, per¬ 
sistently, and in love for the truth as it continues to shine 
in your bosom, although standing ready to accept new light 
and to cast aside former views, when it is proven that they 
are wrong. 

5. Promptness. 

Whenever numbers of men undertake a given task to¬ 
gether, the thing that is uppermost in each mind is the de¬ 
gree of interest that there is in the other fellow. If a partici¬ 
pant in the movement comes to the conclusion that the other 
participants are deeply interested, it serves to deepen his in¬ 
terest. One of the things calculated to dampen the ardor of 
participants in a general movement is lack of promptness on 
the part of those that are engaged in the movement. When 
a meeting is arranged for a given hour, those who come at 
the appointed time and find others who were due to be there 
at the same time absent, there is that much of a dampening of 
ardor. Promptness is a great stimulant to social action. 


41 


More-over, the success of great undertakings not only de¬ 
pends upon various contributing elements, but often depends 
upon the doing of all things simultaneously. Some times the 
sacrifices of one group are an entire waste unless they are 
accompanied by corresponding sacrifices of other groups at 
the same time. Promptness is a social virture that should 
be cultivated by all means. 

6. The tendency to plan for the future. 

The fate of a society at a given time often depends more 
upon what it did at some previous time than upon what it 
does when the crisis is upon it. When the great world-war 
broke out, and the French were summoned to struggle for 
their existence, their fate hung not only upon the skill and 
courage of the soldiers upon the battle fields but also upon 
what had been done in the years that went before. A group 
that lacks the mental grasp to reach out into the future and 
to bring it into the activities of today will not be able to 
maintain its own in the midst of stunning emergencies and 
changing conditions. 

7. The habit of inquiry. 

Curiosity, wisely applied, has been one of mankind’s 
greatest friends. It is the mother of the sciences and the 
parent of learning. A race, without curiosity, can dwell serene¬ 
ly in the midst of conditions rich in possibilities without once 
suspecting them. Races of men living in the tropics and lack¬ 
ing the habit of inquiry, died needlessly by the millions until 
there came among them men out of races that had been led 
by the habit of inquiry to the discovery of the causes of dis¬ 
eases. 

When men have in their natures a proper measure of 
the spirit of inquiry, it will cause them to form organiza¬ 
tions for study, investigation and improvement, and will 


42 


cause them to attend the meetings of these organizations. 
In groups where the spirit of inquiry is not strong, organiza¬ 
tions that should he devoted to matters of research are 
converted almost wholly into gatherings for social purposes. 
The contact arising from having the spirit of inquiry leads 
to scientific discoveries that contribute greatly to the de¬ 
velopment of collective efficiency. 

Nature abounds in illusions. Things are not always what 
they seem to be. In groups where there is but little of the hab¬ 
it of inquiry, it is decidely uncomfortable for a man to make 
discoveries or arrive at conclusions in advance of others. In¬ 
stead of being spurred to examine his findings, those who 
have lagged behind will have the tendency to make life hard 
for the advanced thinker, either through neglect, born of a 
failure to study the import of his findings, or through perse¬ 
cution because what has been discovered is at variance with 
current views. 

There is nothing more important than the work of stimu¬ 
lating curiosity that will lead to the habit of inquiry with ref¬ 
erence to every thing. 

8. Recognition of the enlarged responsibility of lead¬ 
ership. 

A net with holes large enough to allow the ordinary 
members of a bee hive to pass through, but not large enough 
for the queen to do so, has been placed in a hive. When the 
bees have reached a decision to leave, those planning to 
leave have started on their journey, only to find that their 
leader, the queen, has not kept up with them. They return 
and all start again. The queen tries to follow, but is pre¬ 
vented by being unable to get through the holes in the net. 
The other bees finally kill her for not going with them, not 
realizing that the very size of their leader prevented her 
from doing what they did. There are things that others may 
do that leaders cannot do without precipitating a great 


43 


amount of trouble. For example, those who are not taken 
seriously may indulge in talk, which, indulged in by a leader, 
would provoke a crisis for which none are prepared. A child 
in one government may express intense dislike of the peo¬ 
ple of another government without grave results, but if the 
chief executive of that government say the same thing, 
serious trouble may ensue. Where the added responsibility 
of leadership is not understood, there is danger of a de¬ 
mand for things that it would be thoroughly unwise for a 
leader to do, however harmless they might be when done by 
others. When a true co-operator is in the lead, he will re¬ 
main true to the things dictated by wisdom, however much 
others, not situated as he, may be doing things that do not 
cause trouble, only because those doing them are not taken 
seriously. 

9. Self-control. 

In groups where the individuals practice self-control, 
those whose duty it is to administer the general affairs will 
find their tasks far more easy than in groups where there 
is lack of self-control. In point of efficiency the groups 
made up of units that practice self-control must necessarily 
be far in advance of those groups in which the individuals 
do not practice it. 

Each individual who directs himself in harmony with 
the higher aspirations of his group is a contributor to the 
cause of collective efficiency. Where energy has to be spared 
to stimulate and keep the individual within proper bounds, 
just that much energy is diverted from the administration 
of the general affairs of the groups. 

10. Self-respect. 

The degree of one’s success in the world is depend¬ 
ent in a large measure upon the amount of the spirit of co¬ 
operation he is able to inspire in others. Men do not have 
the time nor the opportunity to look through most of the 


44 


tilings that come under their observation. They adopt the 
views of others to a very great extent. Thus men are prone 
to accept as a basis for further consideration a man’s view 
of himself. Where a man does not respect himself, it is 
therefore difficult for him to inspire respect in others. 
Therefore, the man lacking in self-respect misses co-opera¬ 
tion that would enable him to count for more in the life of 
the group with which he is identified. 

11. Practice of relying upon the force of public opinion. 

When it becomes necessary to make changes, what is 
the normal trend of the mind of those seeking to make the 
changes? Is the first thought that of resorting to physical 
force? Such an order of mind does not contribute to the 
development of collective efficiency. Physical force always 
leaves rancors behind and should always be the last resort. 
The chief instrument for bringing about needed changes is 
the force of public opinion. When any change of course is 
deemed necessary there should be a campaign of education. 
Whatever person or persons fail to fall in line should be 
reached by necessary arguments and by the focussing of 
public opinion upon their attitude. This is the greatest of 
all methods of progress. But this process should be applied 
in a spirit of forbearance and open-mindedness, realizing 
that men thought to have been wrong have often been found 
to be in the right. 

12. Possession of the sense of proportion. 

The progress of a group is affected in large measure by 
the sense of proportion possessed by its members. Not all 
things presented are of equal importance and where there is 
a due sense of proportion the more important men and the 
more important measures will receive the attention to which 
they are entitled. Nature at intervals supplies groups with 
persons devoted to the deeper things of life. When such per¬ 
sons can get the proper co-operation, they often bring about 
results of an epoch making character. But unless a group 


46 


is characterized by a due sense of proportion, the vital mat¬ 
ters presented by those of the deeper thought will go un¬ 
heeded, while things of far less import receive attention. 

The lack of appreciation of the relative importance of 
things is a factor that has operated to prevent the higher 
development of monkeys. An observer of the life of monkeys 
in Africa says that there appear among the monkeys some 
that are above the average in intelligence. He states that he 
has often seen a leader among them seek to enlist the co¬ 
operation of the other monkeys. The leader gathers a group, 
puts himself at the head and proceeds with them toward the 
task he has in mind. The monkeys, while following their 
leader, catch sight of objects by the wayside that interest 
them. They turn aside to give attention to the things thus 
attracting them. The leader, finding that he is not being 
followed returns to the group and reawakens interest in his 
project, only to find the attention of his followers again 
diverted in the same way. The absence of a due sense of 
proportion among the monkeys, a thing that causes them 
to elevate minor matters over the more important proposals 
of the leader, explains in large measure their failure to de¬ 
velop a social life of any moment, and any group that fails to 
act wisely in keeping with the relative importance of things 
will likewise fail to develop a high measure of collective 
efficiency. 


46 


TEMPERAMENTAL 

1. Suppression of the spirit of jealousy. 

In considering the things that are necessary in order that 
there may be a strong social fabric, the emotional nature can¬ 
not be ignored, and one of the things most essential is that 
there should be a mastery of the spirit of jealousy. So long as 
human nature is constituted as it now is, we are going to have 
the springs of jealousy in the human breast and men are go¬ 
ing to be jealous of other men. If allowed an unrestricted 
field in which to operate, this spirit of jealousy will prevent 
the having of a strong social fabric. Men may have strong 
bodies and keen intellects and yet may be unacceptable citi¬ 
zens unless they put the brakes on the spirit of jealousy and 
unless they are alert to come to the rescue of those who are 
being beset purely because of jealousy. 

Untamed jealous spirits played a part in bringing on the 
great world war. Herbert Abbott Gibbons says of the Young 
Persians who were trying to conduct a democracy in Persia: 
“Every man was suspicious and jealous of his neighbor.” 
but when the society stage is sreached in evolution, this law 
Now, Germany had looked upon Persia as a legitimate field 
for commercial expansion. When the young Persians, largerly 
because of the spirit of jealousy, failed in their efforts to con¬ 
duct a successful government, Great Britain and Russia in¬ 
tervened and thus closed the door toward which Germany had 
been turning with yearning eyes of hope. This closed door, 
brought on in a large part by a spirit of jealousy, was one of 
the contributing causes of the world war. 

2. Avoidance of excesssive emotionalism. 

Races afflicted with excessive emotionalism will find 
themselves thoroughly aroused over a matter at one time, 
and cool with regard to the same matter at another time, 


47 


without any change having been wrought in conditions. Lead¬ 
ers of emotional groups who allow themselves to be led into 
action because of marked enthusiasm found in their groups, 
often find themselves left alone when the inevitable cooling 
down ensues. This uncertainty causes the abler minds of such 
groups to be reluctant to accept leadership in movements de¬ 
pending upon the sustained zeal of followers. 

Where excessive emotionalism prevails, there is great 
heat manifested over proposed changes in policy. Policies 
that have outlived their usefulness continue because of the 
heat that will be encountered if steps are taken to improve 
them. The races that go forward are those that are torn away 
from outworn customs and ideas demonstrated to be erro¬ 
neous. 

Excessive emotionalism, greatly impeding reform move¬ 
ments will cause groups thus characterized to be shunned. 
For where the spirit of reform is blunted, stagnation and de¬ 
cay will ensue or development along injurious lines will be 
uninterrupted. 

Two men equally honest, equal in ability and with the same 
set of facts before them sometimes come to opposite conclu¬ 
sions. Since there can be honest differences of opinions un¬ 
der the circumstances just named, it is quite apparent that 
there can be honest differences where there are men of un¬ 
equal ability and living in totally different environments. 
Some men penetrate more deeply than do others, but how¬ 
ever divergent the views of men may be,, it is necessary for 
them as members of a common social fabric to work together. 
Thus, the social fabric has dire need of the spirit of tolerance. 
Where this does not exist there is internecine strife of a char¬ 
acter to impair social efficiency. Excessive emotionalism is 
the foe of the spirit of tolerance. 

Where units are unduly emotional, there will be a ten¬ 
dency to confound men with causes. A worthy cause should 


48 


not be allowed to suffer because of mere dislike of an individ¬ 
ual. Yet that is exactly what happens in groups whose units 
are characterized by excessive emotionalism. 

The individualist, when swayed by a strong emo¬ 
tional nature, allows his mind to dwell on the person 
more than on the cause. Such an attitude of mind will 
cause one to follow a man even when he goes wrong. An 
individualist, seeking his own advancement, without regard 
to the welfare of the group, can secure the support of other 
individualists that are fond of him, since, with individualists, 
it is the person and not the cause that counts. Thus, in 
groups where there is devotion to individuals rather than 
to principles, there is great instability. 

As individualists, by their very natures, count more in 
their own estimation than the social body, they have no 
great relish for freedom of thought and speech. If any in¬ 
dividualist is pursuing a course that is unwise, and a mem¬ 
ber of a group makes that fact plain, the individualist is 
inclined to regard this act as a personal affront. To have 
collective efficiency, men must be willing to divorce their 
view from themselves, and allow men to oppose their views 
without regarding them as being personal opponents. Where 
individualists, as a matter of personal pride, regard them¬ 
selves and their views as being tied together, there is a timid¬ 
ity about attacking errors, in view of the fact that it will, 
under the circumstances, provoke personal hostility. 

A movement to bring the emotions under control is an in¬ 
dispensable need of any group afflicted with excessive emo¬ 
tionalism. 

3. Possession of courtesy. 

A number of ants were seen struggling with a load that 
seemed to be too heavy for them. They made several efforts 
to move it but failed. They desisted from their efforts for a 
biief period and turned to stroking each other caressinglv. 


49 


They then returned to their task and moved the load. If men 
would get the best results out of men they must treat them 
with courtesy. Wherever there is genuine courtesy among 
men there is a stimulation that calls forth hidden powers. 

4. Possession of tact. 

The feelings of a group must be taken into considera¬ 
tion. They must be handled in a way that will 
cause them to be factors in strengthening the ac¬ 
tivities of the group. Public servants whose duty 
it is to harness social forces should be persons who have 
acquired the art of working in such a pleasing manner as to 
beget as little friction as possible and a maximum spirit of 
co-operation. To do this requires tact. The highest results are 
never gained where there is an absence of tact. 

5. The possession of courage. 

The law of inertia, holding that a body once in motion 
has a tendency to continue in motion in a uniform straight 
line, and when it rests to remain at rest unless acted upon 
by some outside force, operates not only in the physical world, 
but in the spiritual world. People that are stagnant like to 
remain stagnant. People that are moving like to go in direct¬ 
ions which they have chosen. But, sometimes stagnation means 
death. Sometimes continuing to move in a given direction, 
means destruction. If the tendency toward stagnation is to 
be destroyed, or if the moving in a wrong direction is to be 
intercepted and changed to a right direction, some danger is 
necessarily involved. The martyrs of the world in times past 
have been essential to its progress. Groups of men that have 
been sleeping had to be awakened, even if they destroyed 
those responsible for their awakening. If a group cannot pro¬ 
duce characters with sufficient courage to incur their disfav¬ 
or during the time they are being led from a wrong course 
into a right one, that group cannot make the progress that it 


50 


should make. Courage, therefore, is essential to the progress 
of society. 

6. Persistence. 

We are living in a universe of evolutionary processes. 
Things are accomplished by slow stages. “ First the blade, 
then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.’ ’ If such, then, is 
the method of our universe, none but those who are persistent 
can gather fruits in this universe. No other nation in the 
world today has as extensive resources as the British Em¬ 
pire upon which to draw. Although the British are known 
to possess many striking characteristics, persistence must 
be rated as one of their geatest traits, and one that is in very 
large measure responsible for their great holdings in the 
world. 

7. Wise discontent. 

The highest order of collective efficiency can only be dis 
played where there are large interests to safeguard. He who 
merely trains a soloist cannot evoke the admiration that 
is called forth by a great director of an orchestra. For a race 
to have large interests there must be something to spur its 
members on. Here is the need of wise discontent. 

Unwise discontent will not take the place of wise discon¬ 
tent. The former will result in aimless wandering, while the 
latter will cause earnest efforts to conserve all gains made, 
and will urge forward to better things. An ambition to go for¬ 
ward should be bred in every bosom. 


51 


CONCLUSION 

To reach a stage of collective efficiency is by no means 
an easy task. Taking it for granted that nature has no fav¬ 
orites, behold the long line of unsuccessful stragglers for the 
goal that we find among the insects. If nature is impartial, the 
estate of collective efficiency has been open to every species 
of insect that has appeared on the earth. In the course of 
time, many, many millions of breeds have disappeared with¬ 
out reaching the coveted goal. When we consider the signi¬ 
ficant fact that, of the 300,000 different kinds of insects that 
are now in the world, only one family, and only a part of that 
family, has reached the stage of collective efficiency, we 
glimpse the great difficulties in the way. In the Hymenop- 
tera family, in which we find the bees and ants that have at¬ 
tained collective efficiency, we also find various types of bees 
that have not attained it. 

Does a race aspire to occupy the highest ranks? Does 
it wish to escape the burdens and heart-aches that are the 
accompaniments of a low estate? Does it covet the respect of 
all mankind? Does it wish to enjoy the highest blessings that 
earth affords? Does it desire to be able to respect itself in 
the inner recesses of its soul? Then let it remember how ex¬ 
alted is the goal of collective efficiency. Let it gird its loins 
with a grave determination to pay to the utmost farthing the 
price of reaching it. Let it beware of any whisper that seeks 
to convey the impression that one jot or one tittle can be 
abated from the law of human progress. 

The fact that a group possesses some great out-standing 
virtue is not enough to insure its unhampered progress in the 
world. The Haitians were noted for their courage in battle. 
When fighting for their independence, they showed their 
bravery by the manner in which they overwhelmed both the 
French and the English soldiers. If they could have relied 
upon their courage alone, all might have been well to the end 


52 


of time. But, they neglected the proper development of their 
emotional nature. Exasperated because of the killing of po¬ 
litical prisoners by the president of Haiti, the Haitians vio¬ 
lated international law by dragging the president from the 
French legation in which he had taken refuge, and in a 
moment of frenzy tore him limb from limb. French soldiers 
were called to restore order, but later retired in favor of 
American soldiers. Thus this outburst of emotions for the 
time being brought about a loss of Haitian independence. So, 
what did it profit the Haitians even if they ardently loved 
their country, if they cherished their independence, if they 
were characterized by courage—what did it profit them if 
they possessed these characteristics, but failed to control 
their emotions ? 

Let no race fall into the habit of depending upon some 
one virtue. To do this will result in a sad disappointment. 
Civilization is dependent, absolutely dependent, upon a com¬ 
plexity of virtues. Away with the false assumption that some 
one virtue is sufficient for group or racial salvation! Away 
with the idle boasting of some one great virtue! Look through 
the racial soul, see if the necessary combination of virtues 
is there. If there is not the necessary combination, abandon 
all hope of collective efficiency regardless of possession of 
some special virtue. 

The late Col. Roosevelt has admirably stated the neces¬ 
sity for having the necessary combination of civic virtues. 
In the foreword of his autobiography he says: 

“It seems to me that, for the nation as for the 
individual, what is most important is to insist on the 
vital need of combining certain sets of qualities, 
which separately are common enough, and, alas, use¬ 
less-enough. 

It is possible that in this treatise some ingredient may 
have been left out, but nothing that has been mentioned can 
be ignored with impunity. We therefore urge, we press, the 


53 


acceptance in full of these fundamental principles, and call 
for constant journeying into unexplored regions of thought 
that may be here untouched, in search of whatever else there 
may foe that mil contribute to the attainment of the goal of 
collective efficiency toward which all humanity should strive. 

Every group that strives for collective efficiency should 
have a moral aim, should stand for the triumph of right 
at every point. A moral aim has the power to generate en¬ 
thusiasm and to develop cohesion. The inspiration that it 
begets serves as a foil against outside attack. The lack of 
it means internal wranglings and a progressive tendenecv 
toward disintegration. There is no surer sign of the ab¬ 
sence of a controlling moral purpose than the existence of 
unseemly wrangles. Just as confusion reigns in the bee 
hive when the queen disappears, so the absence of a high 
moral aim begets confusion among men. Wisdom only lends 
its guiding light where the moral aim is present. Bad judg¬ 
ment is a necessary accompaniment of low aims. Men can¬ 
not plan for evil and at the same time plan wisely enough 
to avoid a final clash with the moral order. 

Let all remember that the heart of the universe is benefi- 
cient and that the moral order will not long endure the exist¬ 
ence of accumulating power that is not fundamentally benefi¬ 
cent. If a group , then , would have collective efficiency , and 
would move forward continuously it must be characterized 
by a high moral purpose . 

Let those who aspire for collective efficiency make sure 
of a righteous aim. Cultivate a passion for right, for truth, 
for justice, for kindness—for all that is high and noble. Let 
the heart and mind and being be swayed by these things. 
Let this high aim never pass from the vision. If at any 
time forces arise to obscure it, battle heroically and at any 
cost for its restoration. There is no need of a great collec¬ 
tive force unless it is to foster the good and the true. There 
are numbers of harmful insects which, left to themselves, 


54 


would leave the earth desolate, but nature has provided ene¬ 
mies for them that hold them in check. Nature is the same 
beneficient mother throughout her realm, ever watchful of 
Avhatever would check her evolutionary movement. 

‘‘Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach 
to any people.’’ 

Here, then, are the fundamentals of collective efficiency. 
They may be likened unto an architect’s drawings that are 
to serve as a guide to builders. Educators, social service 
workers, ethical teachers and spiritual guides have here the 
things that must be put into the inner lives of the members 
of groups that would manifest collective efficiency. 

It is to be hoped that all who work at these plans will 
be resourceful and will leave nothing undone to bring about 
the desired results. Turn loose the inventive genius on this 
matter, and wherever there is no device or idea adapted to 
obtaining the things needed, let there be a creation. Let us 
all grapple with our several tasks with the light of a great 
hope burning in our hearts, and with a determination to 
travel the last inch of the great highway, whether we must 
journey beset by piercing thorns or smiling flowers, whether 
living off of some delicious manna from on high or encoun¬ 
tering a rain of lava hurled upward from the disturbed and 
burning depths. This is the message for the upward way 
for all who, for any cause, have lost their way or have halted 
in their journey toward collective efficiency. 


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